Fish Out of Water Authors’ Interview by E. B. Davis

I had the pleasure of reading the short stories contained in the fourth SinC Guppy anthology, Fish Out of Water. The theme required the writers to create characters who are in situations or environments in which they have no experience or prior knowledge. All of the stories deal with crime, as you would expect from a mystery-writing group, but not all of the crimes are enforceable. Some deal with moral crimes, which are nonetheless heinous. The stories ranged in tone—from harsh reality to light-hearted fun. I hope my questions induce you to keyboard over to your choice of a book retailer and buy these talented authors’ stories.

At the end of this interview, I posed one question to editor Ramona DeFelice Long, which I hope you will read. Perhaps Ramona felt like a fish out of water given the tragic situation in which she found herself.

Please welcome the Fish Out of Water authors to WWK.                                                      E. B. Davis

“Plan A: Kill the Fish” by Beth Green

Would you reveal how your main character killed her target?

Well, she’s a first-time assassin and not confident in her abilities. She’s been briefed, but those 
pesky details keep slipping away. I won’t give away the ending, but it involves a coconut and a 
back-deck barbecue on a sailboat.

“The Missing Concubine” by P.A. DeVoe

In what historical span is your story set, and how do you know so much about it?

The Missing Concubine is set in the early Ming Dynasty. I have a background in anthropology and Asian studies. I am particularly interested in traditional China and its judicial system. For many hundreds of years the district magistrate was responsible for all aspects of a case--including acting as the investigator, prosecutor, defense attorney, judge, and jury. Each role was well-defined by law and malfeasance or slippage in any capacity could lead to disastrous consequences for the magistrate. For more on the Judge Lu stories go to padevoe.com.

“Screwed Up” by Anita DeVito

I loved May and June. Do you have two crazy aunties of a certain age on whom you based the characters?

The aunties were inspired by a few different encounters I had with women of a certain age. These women talked very (very) openly about sex in a way I never heard my mother or aunts do (thank goodness. TMI, you know what I mean?.) But I did tell my mother and Aunt Barbara about them and my aunt nodded and said “Well, they are children of the 60s.” The idea began as…what if these ladies didn’t turn their back on the “peace” and “free love” themes of the sixties but tucked them away until the kids were grown. Thus were born May and June, sisters of the heart and spirit. I love them so much, I am considering writing future short stories of their adventures.

“The Abduction of Destiny” by Mo Walsh

Divide and conquer or sex wins every time?

The real irony in this story, for me, is that the aliens wanted to study Destiny, but ended up learning more about themselves. Also, for readers of my generation, Destiny’s behavior seems more “alien” than the relationship between her abductors.

“Doppelgangers” by Susan Alice Bickford

In the end, why did Cassie’s mother so readily accept Tessa?

There are indications this wasn’t easy. Cassie’s mother knows she deserted and failed her daughter in basic ways, but has never been able to come to grips with how to change that. When Tessa appears (helped with prodding from the collective grandmothers), she recognizes that she has an opportunity to take a positive step. Cassie could never hide her resentments but Tessa, who looks so much like Cassie that they could be twins, is willing to meet Cassie’s mother half way. It continues to be a work in progress, but at least moving in a healing direction. Thanks to Tessa, mother and daughter can see there is hope for a new relationship.

“The Far End of Nowhere” by Liz Milliron

Does the press suppress the truth and/or reveal it?

Wow, this is a hard question. The press is always looking to tell a story – a news story, a sports story, a lifestyles story. When you tell a story you have to decide what details to include and what details to leave out. If it’s a real-life story, and you leave out details, in a way you are suppressing the truth. But sometimes what is left out is the most revealing part of the story. I guess my answer is both? I will say the journalists I know are looking to reveal the truth as they know it.

“For the Love of Ruby” by Bern Sy Moss

Who is Ruby?

Ruby is the clue to what happened to John's missing brother. She is the '57 red Chevy that John knows his missing brother would never give up as long as he was alive.

“Ping-Pong Girl” by Rita A. Popp

A reality check either clears perspective or induces fantasy. What tipped your main character to go home?

In the end, Amy is a realist. Her mom’s tiny apartment has no spare room for a teenage daughter, not even a crib for Amy’s new half-brother. Her mom will get no support from the lover who is out of the picture. But the bus Amy rides home to New Mexico makes return trips to Colorado. As a ping-pong girl, Amy is likely to keep bouncing back and forth between the poles of her reconfigured family.   

“Good Neighbors” by Cori Lynn Arnold

Your story proves the adage “no good deed goes unpunished.” Do you think that’s often the case?

I don’t think it’s often the case in real life, but it works out that way most times in fiction, as it is a fun way to torture our most saintly characters.

“Dead Giveaway” by Chelle Martin

Will your main character ever pay back Tommy the ten grand?

Well, first of all, it’s five grand, unless you’re thinking Tommy will charge interest. LOL. My inclination is to say yes, Kayla will pay him back because she is an honest person who got caught up in a world most people dream about. Without giving anything away, she wants to come clean about misunderstanding the charitable request, which would bring an end to her charade. Even though she chooses to save face, she does so while honoring her obligation. She’s sympathetic when it comes to the breast cancer issue. She could just as easily have disappeared from her social scene and kept her half of the profits she acquired with Tommy. Most likely, knowing Tommy’s family’s financial situation, she will sell her designer duds on Ebay and somehow anonymously “donate” the money to his family so it will be put to good use. She and Tommy have both learned their lesson.

“Bottoms Up” by Su Kopil

How did you title your story?

I love titles and try to get them to fit my stories. This one has a double meaning. It’s a play on words in that Gin and Diamond’s mama is a drinker. And they come from the wrong side of town. A place nicknamed the Bottoms. Gin’s brother Diamond had big dreams to move up in the world and so Bottoms Up seemed like the perfect fit. Little side note: There was a place nicknamed The Bottoms not far from where I grew up that gave me that spark of inspiration.

“The Writer” by Steve Shrott

Is writing addictive?

I think if you’re really in the flow of the story, then yes, it is addictive. You’re just carried along by what’s happening, and you almost have to keep writing. For me, part of it is that in my life, I’m not involved in murder, blackmail or robbery, (usually,) and experiencing those things vicariously through my characters is exciting. Although the story I wrote for this anthology is a humorous one, it’s actually more addictive because humor is so much fun to write. 

Of course, if you’re not in the flow of the story, then you’re struggling, and you’d almost rather be at the dentist’s office having a root canal.

“From The Ashes” by Kate Fellowes

Who are your favorite mystery authors?

I could take all day to answer this question!  Working in a public library as I do, I have acquired lots of favorites.  Cozy mysteries are my favorite, at the moment.  I'm really enjoying Cynthia Riggs, Laurie Cass, Sofie Kelly, Sofie Ryan, Julie Buckley and Kathleen Bridge. When I read vintage, it's the classics—Dorothy L Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham.  My favorite author of all time is Barbara Michaels, who also wrote as Elizabeth Peters.  I re-read her books in chronological order, as I do with Phyllis Whitney, Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt.  When I'm finished, I start over again!

“Gossip” by Susan Daly

Is homicide sometimes justified?

Perhaps, but it would be a slippery slope, wouldn't it? And of course it always depends on who is doing the justifying.

“On Like Donkey Kong” by Rhonda Lane

Mild-mannered wife to would-be killer. How does it happen?

She believed, if I behave a certain way, I’ll have a good life. She suppressed her resentments for decades. Then, when loss hit, she breaks bad.

“Crime on Hold” by Claire Ortalda

Have you seen the movie Ruthless People?

I have seen the movie and thought it was hilarious. Yes, my story and Ruthless People do share the comic surprise that a ransom demand by a kidnapper does not meet with the intended result!

 “Sight Unseen” by KM Rockwood

You must have been to a deer camp to write this story. Any memories you’d care to share?

The deer camp featured in my story Sight Unseen is based on the description of one that featured prominently in tales I’ve been told.

For several years, I worked in a medium security state prison, supervising an inmate work crew. Henry came from West Virginia, and he was full of stories. His large extended family was based in a sprawling farmhouse they called “the home place,” and all family members were welcomed (or tolerated) when they showed up. Henry, who described his schemes as “an antiques business without any actual inventory” stayed there between periods of incarceration. He also visited the equally sprawling and somewhat decrepit “deer camp” owned by the family every fall he could. As a convicted felon, he was not permitted to possess firearms, but he maintained the actual hunting was a very minor part of the activities there, so that didn’t create a problem.

His “antiques business” consisted primarily of breaking into houses with wealthy owners who were often part time residents. He took extensive notes of the contents, especially antiques, and kept files of what he’d found. He then contacted antique dealers at a distance, offering to supply whatever was in his files. He only burglarized to order, picking up the antiques and delivering them directly to the retail customer, usually in less than 48 hours.

His detailed note-keeping was his downfall. When I knew Henry, he had been convicted of over 40 counts of burglary, with each sentence running consecutively, adding up to well over 100 years.

“The Thump and Tag” by Melinda B. Pierce

Does desperation produce creative solutions?

I honestly think it depends on the person in the situation.  Jessica could have taken a step back and realized that as a temp worker, she really didn't owe her boss a solution to his problem. Her excitement at finding a workaround of her own making leads the reader to believe that she's going to be more of an asset to the investigative office than initially thought. At least that's the thought process when I created her. Was it really desperation that pushed her through or did she find a bargaining tool in her boss's desperation?

“Step Away From The Cow” by C. C. Guthrie

I grew up next door to a dairy farm, C. C., and know you must have experience to be able to write cow rules. How did you acquire your knowledge?

Although I grew up in the suburbs, both my parents were farm kids. I spent every school vacation and holiday out in the country with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins observing farm life and learning how to live around really big animals.

“Of Roosters And Men” by LD Masterson

Do you specialize in unusual M.O.’s?

Is using a rooster as a weapon considered unusual? Oh dear. I should have gone with the goat.

“The New Score” by Alison McMahan

You were/are a screenwriter. Have you been to the Academy Awards? Is that how you know about its security?

I haven’t been nominated for an Oscar, nor have I been a plus-one for someone who has, so no, I haven’t been to an actual Oscar ceremony. I did a lot of research: talked to people who’d been there, did research online, watched video from several years’ worth of televised ceremonies, and went to Los Angeles and took a tour of the Kodak Theater. Also, one year, coincidentally, I was staying at a hotel that was inside the security cordon for the awards when the awards were about to happen. I had to show my ID to go in and out of my hotel and I had a great view of the whole setup from my hotel window. That accidental experience is probably what planted the seeds of the story to begin with.

I deliberately set my story in the pre-digital era, and pre- 9-11, to make it a little more believable that the hero of my story could do what he did.

“Fairy Tales Can Come True” by Teresa Leigh Judd answered by Editor Ramona DeFelice Long

During the editing process the anthology’s team were informed of writer Teresa Leigh Judd’s death. As an editor, how did you deal with editing her story? Have you had this situation occur before?

It saddens me to answer that Teresa was one of two authors who passed away while I was editing one of their stories. The other was for a different anthology.

When this situation occurs, there are three options: withdraw the story from the collection; complete the revisions myself; or ask the author’s critique partner or group for feedback and revise accordingly. In both situations, the anthology coordinator wanted to keep the stories in the collection, so the option of withdrawing was out. First we had to contact a representative of the author to act in the role of literary executor. We did this by contacting a relative and obtaining their written permission to revise and publish the story. For Teresa’s story, she and I had been through one round of edits, so I had some feedback from her. I went through the edits and completed the revisions myself based on her responses to the first round of edits. In the other author’s case, we contacted her spouse for permission to publish, and then I worked with members of her critique group—who were more familiar with her work than I--to revise the story before publication.

It is always a responsibility to edit an author’s work. When the author passes away, it is an additional responsibility because that piece is the author’s final story to the world. “Fairy Tales Can Come True” is a clever story that was a terrific addition to FOOW. Everyone in the anthology should feel honored to be read alongside Teresa’s last story.

                                        

My Sisters in Crime

Guppy Steering Committee at Malice 2014

This month is September Sisters in Crime SinC-Up for bloggers. The National Sisters in Crime (SinC) suggested a number of topics and that each blog link to another SinC member’s blog. My greatest writing challenge has been about making connections; I am not a natural networker in a time and age where networking is crucial.

The blog title, My Sisters in Crime, relates to SinC chapters to which I belong and to their members, my sisters in crime. (Feminine includes the masculine, plural the singular.)

I split my time between our home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and southern location (first Cincinnati area, now the Savannah area). There are no local writers’ groups in the U.P., and I wanted a support community during the time I spent there.

In 2007 a friend of a friend suggested the National Sisters in Crime and I soon discovered an online chapter, the Guppies.

The Guppies

The strongest links I have forged in the mystery writing community are because of the Guppies, an online chapter of SinC. Guppies stands for “The Great Unpublished,” which described the group in its early days. We have many published authors now, but the name sticks. When I joined, the chapter had around 300 members. Sometime this month we will surpass the 600-member threshold.

For a short while after joining, I lurked and read. It is my tendency to observe and learn. But I know that the more effort you put into an organization, the more you get out. I dipped my toe into the Guppy pond of opportunities and joined a critique group that happened to contain the then President (Michelle Martin) and the then Treasurer and future President, Kaye George. And since I was interested in getting a literary agent, I joined my first subgroup, AgentQuest. (I now belong to several subgroups.)

In 2009, The Guppy Steering Committee decided to assemble an anthology to give our members an opportunity to experience in a friendly environment the professional side of writing: meeting deadlines, judging stories, having a professional editor, getting a publisher, developing publicity. Partway into the process the creative types decided they needed someone to manage the moving pieces, and I volunteered for the role. (I seem to recall I thought my management experiences would help. It turned out that herding family cats was a more useful skill, but I digress.)

That, in turn, led to Kaye George asking me to join the steering committee as the WebGuppy, responsible for managing the website. I served in that capacity for more than three years before recently handing over the reins.

Through those volunteer positions I met and got to know more and more Guppies. At first, everything was online, but as I attended writers’ conferences, I started to put names to faces and the best part of the conventions became the continued conversations.

Fellow Guppies have provided me other opportunities. This Writers Who Kill Blog was the inspiration of E. B. Davis (who currently serves the Guppies by setting up the wonderful online classes we sponsor). Most of the current members of Writers Who Kill are Guppies (and Paula Gail Benson is also a steering committee member).

Speaking of Paula, she was responsible for getting me invited to the South Carolina Book Festival last year and Murder in the Magic City (and Murder on the Menu) earlier this year.

Over the years I have taken excellent Guppy courses on a variety of topics, including character arcs, publicity, writing a synopsis, characterization, plot structure, incorporating senses into scenes and many more. The semi-monthly newsletter, First Draft, alone is worth the $12 annual dues for the Guppies.

And Guppies have stretched me in other positive ways. At this year’s Malice Domestic Conference I joined with my sister Guppies and wore my pink boa to the Sisters in Crime breakfast. And because of a fellow Guppy’s suggestion (thank you Hank Phillippi Ryan) I wore a wonderful wolf’s hat to an “Extreme Weather Mysteries” panel (KM Rockwood was on that panel as well as another fellow Guppy, Annette Dashofy.) In January 2015 I’ll be teaching a course on Self-Editing/Revision for the Kiss of Death Chapter of the Romance Writers of America—because a fellow Guppy, Donnell Bell, thought of me.

Low Country Sisters in Crime

Late last year, another Guppy, Maggie Toussaint, notified me that she was joining with some other SinC members to form a Lowcountry chapter. Would I be interested? I missed the face-to-face get-togethers I had enjoyed with the Cincinnati Writers Project and jumped on the opportunity. Tina Whittle was the driving force for the group. I am now one of the founding members of our nascent chapter – and Membership Vice President. (Give a little, receive a lot).

I’ll end this love letter to my writing sisters, by saying thank you to those I have named and to the hundreds of others not named but who have helped me personally and professionally. It wouldn’t have happened without the Sisters in Crime and it wouldn’t have happened without My Sisters in Crime.

~ Jim

Links to other blogs.

I am sharing three, all of which are joint efforts and include Guppies and other SinC members.

Get Lost in a Story: http://getlostinastory.blogspot.com/

Jungle Red Writers: http://www.jungleredwriters.com/

Mysteristas: http://mysteristas.wordpress.com/

SinC Chapter Anthologies--The Guppy Chapter

 

Most of the authors at Writers Who Kill write short stories as well as novels. Last summer, WWK blogger Paula Benson, interviewed short stories writers. This summer, we want to canvas editors and publishers of anthologies to promote short stories and to point our readers in the direction of some great reads. Summer is the perfect time to read short stories while hopping in and out of the pool, sitting on the beach, or to read round the campfire after hiking all day. This week we’re focusing on the SinC Guppy Chapter’s anthologies, Fish Tales and Fish Nets. Please welcome Kaye George and Jim Jackson, two of the chapter’s anthologies coordinators.                                                                        E. B. Davis

What prompted you to create an anthology?

We wanted to give our unpublished members a chance to be in print and experience the process of professional editing. We knew many of them were excellent writers who had not been given a chance yet.

How did you develop a theme for your anthology?

We wanted to stick with our chapter name, Guppies (or Guppy chapter), so we required mentions of fish or water in each story.

Do you develop a “local” theme to entice readers in your area?

No, we’re an international chapter, so we stuck to our name. The Guppy name stands, loosely, for the Great UnPublished. Our online chapter was founded by unpublished authors attempting to help each other achieve publication. We called the first anthology Fish Tales, the second we named Fish Nets and the working title for the third is Fish or Cut Bait.

How long did you give your writers to submit stories?

Four months. For the current anthology we decreased that to three months.

Did you adhere to the guidelines set up for anthologies by SinC?

Yes.

What was the response to your query for stories among your writers?

We received more than we could publish. For the third anthology we received 55 stories of which we expect to accept 20-22.

What were the criteria for selection?

We used a scoring sheet. The judges gave numerical scores between 1 and 4 for the eight categories we chose:  general impression (which was really the beginning), characters, setting, plot, ending, overall impression, presentation, and theme.

Were the stories judged blind? How did you obtain judges?

Yes. For the first two anthologies, we required each entrant to judge three other entries. Because some judges had more short story experience than others, we discovered that scoring was not the level playing field we desired. For the third anthology, we are using nonmember judges who we approached through our contacts with the Short Fiction Mystery Society.

Did you hire an editor?

Yes.

Was any thought given as to the order of the stories in the anthology?

The editor chose the order and that order was accepted by the publisher.

How did you find a publisher, and who published your anthology?

We sent out query letters, the same as for a novel or short story. The same publisher, Wildside Press, did our second anthology.

Were you given a choice of covers?

No, the publisher did it. We all love it, though.

How are you promoting your anthology and do you have a budget to do so?

We produced bookmarks and sent each author a large supply. We’ve had it available at Malice Domestic conventions and others. The writers attempt to sell them individually also.

Do you think that there is a resurgence of interest in short stories?

I wasn’t aware an interest in short stories had gone away. Markets for them come and go, but they are always there.

Have any of your chapter’s stories been nominated for awards?

From the first anthology “Dead Eye Gravy” by Krista Davis and “Palace by the Lake” by Daryl Wood Garber were nominated for an Agatha. “Palace on the Lake” was also nominated for an Anthony and a Macavity. From Fish Nets, Gigi Pandian’s “The Hindi Houdini” was nominated for an Agatha Award.

Are you planning other anthologies?

Yes, by the time this interview is published, the selected stories for Fish or Cut Bait will be with the editor.

These anthologies can be found at Amazon. Remember that you can order them through your favorite indie bookstore!       

Retrospective

This month marks my one year anniversary blogging at Writers Who Kill. If you had told me I would be celebrating this milestone a year and a half ago, I would not have believed you.

In June 2012, after having heard for a number of years about Sisters in Crime and its Guppy Chapter, I dove into the waters, and now, like the salmon, I sense I've reached the stream I was intended to navigate.

As I told this readership last October, reading and writing always have been parts of my life. Internally, I knew I wanted to follow a creative writing career path. How to arrive at that path became the challenge.

When I joined the Guppies, for the first time, I began receiving numerous messages about opportunities to write short stories. Although I had read many short stories, I did not feel comfortable writing them. To be able to craft a short story that conveyed a character's journey and arrived at a satisfying ending, seemed difficult to me--particularly a short mystery. I read the stories of less than 1,000 words in Women's World with amazement. That condensed storytelling took skill.

However, working on a novel that might never be accepted or never get done kept me on the sidelines of the writing community. I told people I was a writer, but I had no tangible proof. Nothing to hand out or point to and say, "See? I'm published." Several members in my local writers' group quit after going years without that achievement. I didn't want to face a similar fate.

Robert Dugoni

So, I decided I had to get into the game. When I heard people conversing about making submissions, I wanted to contribute my own tales. When people asked me what I wrote, I wanted to say "mystery short stories" and tell them the markets where I submitted.

Two wonderful opportunities helped me start in this direction: (1) writing a short story with bestselling author Robert Dugoni, and (2) having one of my own stories accepted for a charitable anthology. Neither has been published yet, but working with Robert was like having a personalized master class, and the group publishing the charitable anthology has released a trailer with my name among the authors.

I kept watching for story calls and making submissions. I joined the Guppy online short story critique group.

Through Story Success, as the Guppy critique group is called, I met Gloria Alden, Kara Cerise, E.B. Davis, and Jim Jackson. I was honored when E.B. asked if I would consider blogging for WWK, and delighted that the group let me share the load with Carla Damron and Sam Morton, two stalwart members of my local writers' group, the Inkplots.

In late December 2012, I read that the Bethlehem Writers Group Roundtable was looking for February stories on the theme "Dead Valentine." The submission had to be made at least a month in advance. I quickly polished a story I had written a few years earlier and sent it in. By the first week in January, I received word it would be the Roundtable February featured story.

Since that time, I've had a second story published in the BWG Roundtable and two in Kings River Life. (Not to mention a Christmas story here on WWK last year.) In addition, I've had two stories accepted for publication in anthologies by Buddhapuss Ink and Dark Oak Press/Kerlak Publishing.

During the summer, my blogging partners have supported and encouraged my work on a short story series. From that experience, I've had the opportunity to meet and now count as good friends some excellent practitioners of mystery short fiction. I've thoroughly enjoyed exploring the avenues open to short story writers. Working in the short story field can help authors gain recognition while maintaining autonomy. I agree with those saying that noted short story writer Alice Munro being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature this year signals a reemergence of the short story form.

As I start out my second year with WWK, I'm busy working on a short story for this Christmas and thinking about other aspects of short story writing to investigate. This February, with WWK blogger Jim Jackson and wonderful short story writers Kaye George, Toni Kelner, and Earl Staggs, I'll be participating as an author in Murder in the Magic City, a conference in Birmingham, Alabama. I've moderated panels before, but this will be the first time I've appeared as an author.

What an amazing year. I credit blogging with WWK as helping me to chart my writing course. Each person contributing to this blog is talented, thoughtful, caring, and wonderful to communicate with. They are both buddies and inspirations, and I wish them all the best in all their pursuits.

Thank you to my blogging partners for your peer review, support, and encouragement. Thank you to all our readers for taking the time to stop by.

I'm truly grateful.

The New SinC Guppy Anthology: Fish Nets

The Sisters in Crime Guppies (an acronym of The Great Unpublished—GUPs, which turned into Guppies) newest anthology, Fish Nets, now swims the book market. Wildside Press also published the group’s first anthology, Fish Tales in 2011.

When the Steering Committee of the SinC Guppies asked the membership to submit stories about fishnets, I was somewhat befuddled, but I persevered, wrote a story and submitted it for consideration. After the deadline, score sheets were sent to those authors who submitted stories, asked to judge three stories and rate each one.

The top twenty-two stories were chosen for inclusion in the anthology, and some of them were written by WWK bloggers, Kara Cerise, Gloria Alden, Warren Bull and me. It’s an honor to have our stories included. Copies will be available for sale at the Malice Domestic Conference, if you attend, or you can go to: (whatever urls I can find.) I asked the authors to write a paragraph describing the “story behind the story.” Here are their tales. E. B. Davis.

“Cover Story” Elaine Will Sparber                                            

Like Superstorm Sandy, my story resulted from the crashing together of multiple forces. When the Guppies announced their second anthology, I was immersed in plotting a traditional mystery novel featuring a book editor from Long Island who was being forced to do some amateur sleuthing. At the same time, in real life, the local police started uncovering bodies along Long Island's south shore that they speculated were the victims of a serial killer. Throw in the colorful azalea bushes blooming around my neighborhood and, of course, the anthology's theme of  fish nets--any and all kinds--and my story just blew into my mind: Superstorm "Cover Story."

“Dressed For Success” Diane Vallere

In “Dressed For Success” I wanted to create a spin on the classic Philip Marlowe-type character but put her in the fashion world, someone who would be hired to investigate stolen designs, knock-off artists, and other seamy fashion business, and push her further than that by dropping her in the middle of a murder investigation. She has the skills to fly under the radar, but can she figure out the killer before he silences her for good?

“Keeping Up Appearances” Julie Tollefson

In “Keeping Up Appearances,” Nick is basically a decent guy who has made some bad choices—who hasn’t, right? Now he’s dealing with the consequences: Single parenthood. A melodramatic, demanding soon-to-be ex-wife. A strained relationship with his lifelong best friend. And he thinks he’s doing okay, until his wife and daughter disappear and his carefully reconstructed life crumbles. Is he in over his head?

“The White Flip-Flop” H. S. Stavropoulos

I was walking on a beautiful sandy beach in Greece at the end of a glorious day. As the tide hit the beach, I noticed a single white flip-flop being tossed in the froth. When I got to that point on the beach, I kicked it up to the sand. The rhinestones glittered in the sunlight. It fired my imagination. Why would someone leave a flip-flop at the beach? How do you walk away with only one flip-flop? How did it get in the water? By the time I returned to my hotel, a story started to coalesce with a main character, a murderer and the victim.

"Clean" Steve Shrott

Over the years, I've been around some weird, different, and offbeat people (it takes one to know one.) So I thought it would be interesting to write a story that involved that kind of character. Someone who’s driven by strange impulses to do odd things, yet lacks the awareness that what they do is in the least unusual. I always think that stories of this nature are amongst the most fascinating.

“Fishing for Justice” Harriette Sackler

It can take one brief and chance encounter to motivate a writer to create a story. Just such an experience resulted in “Fishing for Justice,” a dark tale of murder. A glimpse of something strange at the Maryland shore got me wondering: What if…..?

“The Girls in Fishnet Stockings” Judith Kerman Smith

When Fish Nets was announced as the theme for the second Guppy anthology, I didn’t think of fishing or bodies of water. Instead my quirky brain conjured up one of those wonderful black and white films of the 1930’s. Dimly lit scenes set in a speakeasy and populated with menacing gangsters and beautiful women flickered in my brain. I even pictured the requisite cigarette and camera-toting gals, both dressed in fishnet stockings under a French-maid tutu-length costume. That’s how I came to write “The Girls in The Fishnet Stockings.”

“The Hindi Houdini” Gigi Pandian

In "The Hindi Houdini," magician Sanjay Rai, aka The Hindi Houdini, solves a locked room mystery at the winery theater where he performs.

Sanjay is a sidekick in my Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series. So how'd he end up with a starring role in this story? Because he's a magician, I realized he'd be great at solving locked room "impossible crime" mysteries. I had such fun crafting this puzzle that I'm now writing a series of stories with seemingly impossible crimes.

"Stonecutter" Edith Maxwell

I saw a man walking down a street in a gritty town north of Boston many years ago. He clearly wasn't from here. He looked European, Portuguese probably, from a place where men use fishnets to make a living from the sea. From there I invented a profession for him - a stonecutter - and created his lover and soul mate. I originally crafted my story of middle-aged love gone awry as simply that, a sad love story. But when a crime on O Dia dos Mortos crept in, I couldn't refuse it.

“Netted” KB Inglee

For me the characters usually come first, but in this case it was the setting. Delaware history has fascinated me as long as I have lived here. We started out as the “lower three counties" of Pennsylvania. We are EAST of the Mason Dixon Line but our borders were not finalized until the 1980s. We were one of a few loyal slaves states during the Civil War. So I picked a time when we were struggling to separate from Pennsylvania. I invented a town, and peopled it. A friend showed me how to tie fishnets. Then all I needed was a plot. As always, that was the hard part.

“Fishy Business” Jean Huffman

You never know when an idea from an overstuffed "Story File" will come in handy, as was the case for "Fishy Business."

I clipped an intriguing picture from our local newspaper a few years ago. The photo was that of a restaurateur and his twenty-something daughter side-by-side, frying fish in the kitchen of their popular seafood restaurant. In the accompanying caption, the daughter was noted to be following in the father's footsteps, eagerly pursuing a business degree at a local university to continue the family business.

That visual set the wheels in motion. As I began to ponder the relationship dynamic within my fictional family's restaurant business, the plot for "Fishy Business" was born. My determined mother-son protagonists, Fancy Raeford Hodge and Durham Police Detective Mike Hodge, make their second appearance in this short story, after starring in my first novel.

Fancy and Mike discover that family ties do bind, and sometimes with deadly consequences.

 “Fishing for Murder” Teresa Inge
When driving across the Rudy Inlet Bridge in Virginia Beach, I wondered what would happened to a vehicle if it went over the side. Would it sink? Float? Could someone push a car off the bridge on purpose? Could a barge enter the inlet and pull a vehicle out? Check out “Fishing for Murder” to uncover the mystery.

“Lawn Ballerinas” Beth Hinshaw
All I had to do to gain inspiration for my short story was to walk outside. I love living in the great Northwest with its pristine forests, clear, fast-running rivers and, okay, let's be honest here, rain! Of course, the rain brings forth its own bounty. Our rivers are famous for its prized salmon and steelhead trout, the wily feisty fish that can out-snooker most fishermen.
My husband and I have had a family fishing competition going on since we've been married. I am still winning. When we started our fishing derby, we cleared the slate, so to speak. He grew up in the Northeast and spent every summer on Cape Cod, so it really wouldn't have been fair to do otherwise. So this story is also born of this family tradition. This is just a little slice of domesticity.

“Don’t Take That Chance” Kate Fellows

After seeing on the news that another group of factory workers would split a million-dollar jackpot, I got to wondering: what if one of those workers wasn't really such a team player?

In my story, "Don't Take That Chance", Robin and her employees finally hit it big after years of playing the same numbers. But the winning lottery ticket has gone missing under mysterious circumstances.
Who would dare to take that chance?
Robin must put on her thinking cap to solve this crime by quitting time, and net herself a thief.

“The Runaway” E. B. Davis

I’m a Hatteras Island, N.C. beach fan, and my husband’s enthusiasm for fishing takes us to the marinas in Hatteras Village. When contemplating the topic of fishnets, the Hatteras style charter fishing boats formed an image in my mind and became the setting of my story, in which a teenager stows away. What happens on “The Runaway” makes for a memorable birthday.

 “Reef Town” Kara Cerise

Thanks to my husband, we have numerous salt water aquariums in our house. Without warning, like a scene from Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, fish in one tank began disappearing at night. Why? Later, while caring for my sister during her intensive cancer treatments, I continued to mull this question. I also watched cartoons for comic relief. As a result, disappearing fish and cartoons bobbed and churned in my head, then poured onto the page and became my children’s mystery/fantasy short story, “Reef Town.”

 “John Calvin Can Bite Me” Michelle Butler

I spent four years as a church librarian, and did indeed, come in once and find the books rearranged by color, by someone who I can only assume thought he was being helpful.
 
 “Snared” Warren Bull

In my Fish Nets’ story, the non-law enforcement character (the antagonist) is a composite drawn from actual people I have known at various times and places in my life. I have tried to use different versions of the storyline in other submissions before with a similar character. Feedback in the past has always been that the character seemed unrealistic. That proves the adage that just because something actually happened it does not mean the event will come across as  believable in fiction. 

“Routine Changes” Betsy Bitner

I got the idea for my story “Routine Changes” after going to one too many home shopping parties. You know – those live, in-person infomercials masquerading as social gatherings. I’d just received the electric pie crimper I’d ordered at my friend’s “party” when I discovered I’d already bought one and it was still in its original packaging. I was so mad I could kill someone!

Okay, not exactly. But my protagonist, Julie, realizes the reason for her dissolving marriage is standing right in front of her while at a home shopping party for beauty products. And that’s when things get ugly….

“Inside Job” Mysti Berry
After two decades of watching many people sacrifice their personal lives and sometimes their sanity at fast-paced software companies, only to be cast aside the instant something goes wrong, I wrote "Inside Job." Many software technologists are book-smart, or code-savvy, but they’re not emotionally wise enough to handle the challenges of inventing an industry from the ground up. This is the story of one woman who plays a vengeful game with her CEO, a man who carries blame for much more than her barren personal life.

“The Lure of the Rainbow” Gloria Alden

Fishnets have only one meaning for me – something to use when fishing. Because I know nothing about deep-sea fishing, I decided my story should be in an area I can picture; a cabin by a lake in the mountains. The opening few lines about spring peepers was something that happened to me one night, and I stored it in my memory for a future story. Because my fishing experiences are minimal and never involved trout fishing, I started researching. I got books from the library on trout fishing, and asked several people about making lures including one guy at a folk concert. I didn’t know him, but he had a shirt with fish on it. He was most helpful, and over the months he’d ask me about it when I’d see him at other concerts. I was finally able to tell him my story was included in the anthology and eventually when it would be out. I still don’t know his name, but I’ll start carrying Fish Nets bookmarks with me when I go to concerts.